Soaring on Wings of Flame
by A Tragic Galaxy
Summary: Sequel to Rising Phoenix. The dark side is rising. Laurence, aka Anakin, strives to keep his identity secret as his clone begins to lose control. Will the Sith prevail, or will the true Anakin Skywalker return to the Jedi and take his place as Chosen One?
1. Rescue Mission

**This is Part 2 of Rising Phoenix:**

**For those who haven't read the previous stories:**

**Rising Phoenix: ****Anakin saves Darra's life but leaves the temple, allowing Palpatine to put a clone in his place. Now as the Queen's guardian, Anakin must either forget his past life and allow his clone to remain a Jedi, or tell the truth and ruin Padme's future forever.**

**Link: ****.net/s/6599182/1/Rising_Phoenix**

**Phoenix Reborn: A very short inbetween fic. Takes place after Rising Phoenix but before Soaring on Wings of Flame, and explains Laurence's kids. ****.net/s/6800477/1/Phoenix_Reborn**

**This chapter begins with a slight introduction to summarize the events of the last story, but I would really advise you to read Rising Phoenix first if you haven't done so.**

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Cannon fire exploded across the blackness of space, showering both sides with their deadly missils. Clone fighters dived between the seperatist battleships, peppering them with their own ammunition. Two Jedi starfighters moved in perfect unison, soaring with the grace of a falcon as they swerved to avoid the deadly gunfire.

Laurence rolled his eyes as he twisted his own starfighter into a tight spin and dodged between two missils. Obi-wan and Anakin could stay in formation as much as they liked. Laurence, on the other hand, was making certain that if he got shot down he'd taken several enemy starships with him.

Ever since he had run away from the temple at age seventeen, Laurence, or Anakin Skywalker as he really had been known as, had hidden both his force abilities and his identity from the Jedi. For two years he had worked as Laurence Stalin, guardian of Queen, and later Senator, Padme Amidala.

After an attempt on Padme's life on Coruscant, it was decided that a Jedi team should be assigned to her for further protection. Laurence had been shaken to the core when an identical "twin" of himself had appeared. Later he learned that a clone of himself had been created on Kamino, but for a time he was left to wonder who it was that had taken his place in the temple.

The real trouble had come when Laurence's clone began vying for Padme's affection. Heartbroken and jealous, Laurence had held back his own feelings in dread of Padme's reaction when she learned of his lying to her. Just when he thought it would be war between himself and the imposter, however, Darra stepped it. When she learned of Laurence's true identity, they both decided they couldn't live without each other. At the end of the mission, Darra left the Jedi Temple and Laurence left Padme's service. They were married on Naboo, and Laurence had thought his dealings with the temple were over for good.

Three years and two kids later, Laurence found himself back among the Jedi as he fought against the rising Seperatist rebellion. After the kidnapping of Chancellor Palpatine, the senate had requested the help of the temple to rescue the Chancellor before the republic crumbled. Thus Laurence found himself trapped in a space battle in the middle of a war crisis.

In spite of his past life, Laurence couldn't say he minded returning to the temple. A great deal of harsh memories were involved, but he appreciated having them alongside him during the war. Despite his current commission under the temple, however, Laurence continued to act as unorthadox as possible. Just because he had once gone under the name of Anakin Skywalker didn't mean he had to act like a Jedi. The first chance he had, Laurence had painted his Jedi starfighter black and electric blue. The ship, along with his black clothes, clearly stated that Laurence was not a part of the temple.

He was beginning to wonder, however, if his choice of colors in this case had been entirely a good idea. At one time he would have relished the danger of extra gunfire that the bright shade of blue would have attracted, but now with a wife and two sons waiting back at home, Laurence was simply trying to make it through this mess alive.

Laurence steered his ship in another tight circle as he shook off an enemy fighter. If he could just manage to stop worrying about home, he might start to enjoy this. Dodging enemy fire was almost a breeze compared to podracing.

"Master, General Grevious's ship is directly ahead," Anakin's voice crackled over the radio, "The one _crawling_ with vulture droids."

"Oh, I see it. Oh, this is going to be easy," Obi-wan quipped.

Laurence tightened his grip on the controls and swung his starfighter alonside his former master and "the other Anakin." Working with the Jedi for three years had allowed Laurence to get used to the idea of having a clone, but he still felt a slight amount of tension when fighting alongside either Anakin or Obi-wan.

"Oddball, do you copy?" Obi-wan spoke over the com as several vulture droids launched towards the republic fighters.

"Copy, red leader."

"Mark my position, form your squad up behind me."

"We're on your tail Master Kenobi," Oddball replied.

Laurence flipped a switch, activating the starfighter's attack mode. "Ready K-L5?" he asked the bright pink droid operating his ship. Laurence would never forgive Jamie for knocking a vat of hot pink paint on K-L5 just before the mission. Darra said the color looked splendid with Laurence's electric blue starfighter, but he begged to differ. As it was the entire Jedi temple was likely splitting their sides with laughter by now.

"This is where the fun begins," Anakin said with a smirk in his tone.

"Let them pass between us," Obi-wan ordered as the droids zoomed towards them.

Laurence swung his starfighter to the right as the hoard of miniature droid fighters shot their way through the republic force. Not all the the republic ships were able to evade the attack, and Laurence felt sick as he saw a clone fly past his cockpit.

"They're all over me," another clone's voice crackled over the radio. "Get them off my - "

Laurence clenched his jaw as static replaced the words. War was cruel to all sides, whether enemy or ally. There was nothing he could do but finish his own mission. Hopefully they would catch Grevious, preventing further casualties.

"I'm going to go help them out," Anakin announced as he started to pull his starfighter away.

"No, no," Obi-wan objected. "They are doing their job so that we can do ours."

Laurence could picture the scowl that was likely on Anakin's face at that statement. Obi-wan's words weren't reassuring, however, as yet another clone fighter was shot down. Flipping his starfighter downwards, Laurence shot down two vulture droids that were chasing another clone. As long as he didn't risk the mission with his rescue attempts, Laurence would do what he could to help the other fighters out.

"Missils, pull up!" Anakin suddenly warned over the com.

Hissing slightly in frustration, Laurence pushed his starfighter in an abrupt ninety degree dive. Sure enough, there was an burst of flame as one missil exploded directly above him. Tiny pieces of burning shrapnel peltered the Jedi starfighter, searing the blue paint.

A quick peek at the viewscreen told Laurence that he had three more friendly followers to dodge. He wondered if it was entirely fair that a vulture droid had aimed all four of its missils at _him_. Now was not the time to complain however, unless there were some wonderful space particles Laurence wanted to talk to after his ship got hit.

Twirling his starfighter into a tight spin, Laurence was pleased to see two missils crash into each other. Now, he only had one left to evade. Despite Laurence's evassive maneuvers, the missil dogedly remained on his trail. Finally Laurence rolled his eyes and ejected the spare pieces of junk he kept around specifically for situations like this. A muffled explosion told him his ruse had worked.

Obi-wan, however, was not faring as well. "I'm hit! Anakin?" his voice called over the com.

"I see them," Anakin responded. "Buzz droids."

"Oh, that's just perfect," Laurence muttered. Buzz droids were like creepy oversized spiders who took particular pleasure in ruining a perfectly good vessel. If they didn't get those things off soon, Obi-wan would find himself stuck in an inoperational starfighter.

Laurence searched the chaos and saw his former master's ship a small ways away. Obi-wan's voice called out a warning, and K-L5 whimpered in dismay as the droid R-4 got its head torn off. Laurence grimaced and quickly swerved over to help.

"They're shutting down all the controls," Obi-wan's voice was on the verge of panic.

"Move to the right so I can get a clear shot at them," Anakin ordered.

"Not that way!" Laurence shouted as his own fire narrowly missed Obi-wan's starfighter wing.

"The mission!" Obi-wan reminded them. "Get to the command ship, get the Chancellor. I'm running out of tricks here."

Laurence rolled his eyes and blasted another droid off the ship. He had to be careful. A fraction off target and he could blast Obi-wan's ship out of commision.

Anakin seemed to have the same idea, but unlike Laurence, he didn't take his time with his aim. Several bolts fired in quick succession, one taking off the entire right wing extension of Obi-wan's fighter.

"Hold your fire, you're not helping here!" Obi-wan's voice had a slight shriek to it.

"I agree, bad idea," Anakin said calmly.

Laurence swooped closer, taking careful aim at another buzz droid.

"I can't see a thing," Obi-wan's frequency began to break up. "My cockpit's fogging. Anakin?"

Laurence winced as Anakin recklessly drove his starfighter wing into the side of Obi-wan's starfighter in an attempt to crush the mechanical parasites.

"Move to the right," Anakin ordered.

"Hold on, Anakin!" Obi-wan cried. "You're going to get us both killed!"

Laurence picked off two other droids with his cannons, wincing as one grazed Obi-wan's ship.

"Laurence! Hold your fire!" Obi-wan's panicked voice came over the com. "Get out of here, there's nothing more you can do!"

"I'm not leaving without you, Master," Anakin replied serenely. Smashing his wing alongside Obi-wan's ship again, he succeeded in crushing all the droids but one. The last managed to crawl aboard his own ship and began cackling at R-2.

"Nice job, Lazorbrain," Laurence rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, knock it off, Laurence!" Anakin responded.

"Would you both stop arguing!" Obi-wan shouted at them. "R-2, hit the droid's center eye."

Although Laurence didn't have a chance to see it, the technique appeared to work. A final lonely buzz droid soon went flying past his cockpit.

"Yeah, you got him!" Anakin cheered.

"Great, R-2," Obi-wan responded.

Laurence wondered if he would have minded terribly if K-L5's hot pink head had been torn off instead of R-4's. Maybe if he painted the K-L5's head gold he could hand it off to one of the female Jedi.

"The General's command ship is dead ahead," Anakin informed them.

"Well, have you noticed the shield's are still up?" Obi-wan pointed out as R-2 screamed.

"Sorry, Master." Anakin's starfighter did a neat spin over Obi-wan's ship. Laurence decided to act out on his annoyance and blasted half the shields before Anakin could get to them. At times like this he understood where Jamie got his personality from.

Instantly a blast door activated, and Laurence rammed his ship forward before he could be locked outside.

"Oh, I have a bad feeling about this," Obi-wan groaned.

Laurence felt the door crunch the back of his starfighter as he barely made it inside the command ship. Immediately upon entering Obi-wan leapt out of his starfighter and began slicing through the droids. Anakin, contrary to his reckless actions earlier, waited until his ship screeched to a halt before removing his seatbelt and joining the fray. Laurence simply let his starfighter ram into a wall. It was decimated anyways, so he wasn't sure why he needed to bother parking it. Ducking behind the smoking hull, Laurence pulled out a blaster and started shooting every droid that was unlucky enough to be within range.

"R-2, locate the chancellor," Obi-wan ordered as he continued blocking the blaster fire coming his way. Seconds later the last droid fell.

Laurence stepped out from his hiding place and tossed aside his empty blaster. As an extra precaution, he grabbed a full one from one of the fallen battle droids.

"The chancellor's signal is coming from right there, the observation platform at the top of that spire," Obi-wan pointed out on R-2's map as Laurence caught up with the two Jedi.

"I sense Count Dooku," Anakin said.

"I sense a trap," Obi-wan agreed.

"Next move?" Anakin asked.

Obi-wan grinned. "Spring the trap."

Laurence shrugged at the idea and pulled a lightsaber from his belt. Due to Mace Windu's discovery of Laurence's skill with the blade, the Council had given him an extra lightsaber for situations that called for a more capable weapon than a blaster. Laurence was secretly thrilled to have the graceful Jedi tool in his posession once more, but he tried to use it only when necessary. He didn't want to attract further suspicion from the Jedi concerning his identity.

"R-2, go back," Anakin ordered as the droid began to follow them. "I need you to stay with the ship."

"You, too, K-L5," Laurence added. _Please_ stay behind. He couldn't imagine the embarrassment he'd experience if the Seperatists saw a hot pink droid followed him around.

"Here, take this and wait for orders." Obi-wan tossed a comlink to R-2, who caught it in one of his inbuilt claws.

Laurence impatiently pressed the elevator button several times. He always hated waiting for the doors to open, as the elevator typically was at the top floor whenever he needed it. Such was the luck of Laurence.

His luck was about to get a lot worse, as Anakin warned, "Destroyers."

Laurence rolled his eyes as he activated his green lightsaber. First the elevator was late, and now he was stuck with a bunch of droidekas. Life just kept getting better and better.

The elevator doors finally opened, and Laurence dashed through without a second thought. The first thing he spotted was a blaster pointed right at his face. Obi-wan and Anakin meanwhile backed into the elevator while blocking the blaster fire with their lightsabers.

"Drop your weapons," one of the droids ordered as soon as the unwary Jedi had deactivated their lightsabers.

Laurence gave a sheepish grin at Obi-wan and put his hands in the air.

"I said drop 'em," the droid repeated. The others started shifting nervously behind it.

Anakin and Obi-wan whirled around, lightsabers activated and flashing in a blur of light. Laurence dropped to the floor and sliced through the legs of three droids. By then the entire squad had been decimated by Obi-wan and Anakin's blades.

"I'd say we just met the welcoming party," Laurence said with a bemused expression as he returned his lightsaber to the pouch at his belt. He started tapping his foot, wishing the elevator would move faster.

Halfway up, the elevator stopped completely.

"Did you press the stop button?" Obi-wan asked Anakin.

"No, did you?"

"No," Obi-wan instantly answered. The two Jedi looked to Laurence.

Laurence shrugged from where he was leaning against the opposite wall, arms folded. "Do I look like I'm anywhere near the controls?"

"Well there's more than one way out of here," Anakin responded as he activated his lightsaber and began cutting a hole in the roof.

"We don't want to get out, we want to get moving," Obi-wan corrected as he pulled out his comlink. "R-2? Activate elevator 31174. R-2? R-2 do you copy?"

No reply came. Obi-wan continued trying, then pulled back as the molten disk Anakin had been carving out of the ceiling came crashing down. Without further ado, Anakin leapt through the hole.

Obi-wan sighed. "Always on the move," he commented.

Laurence had no urge to follow his clone onto the roof. Despite his own impatience, he knew he wasn't going to get to the location any faster by skydiving. Hopefully Anakin wasn't going to get himself killed with this new stunt.

"R-2, pick up the comlink," Obi-wan continued trying to get ahold of the droid. "R-2?"

Suddenly the elevator dropped out from under them, spilling Laurence and Obi-wan onto the floor. Laurence could only wonder how far Anakin was behind them. He hoped the Jedi wouldn't manage to get himself creamed all over the elevator shaft.

Obi-wan staggered to his feet, rubbing his bruised nose. "Stop, R-2, we need to be going _up_. R-2? R-2, do you copy?"

Laurence groaned from his position on the floor. At this rate Grevious would be long gone before they got a response back from the droid. Abruptly the elevator halted, throwing Obi-wan to the floor again. Laurence grinned cheekily. Having been lying down already, the sudden stop hadn't affected him as badly.

Obi-wan never seemed to learn however, as he tried getting to his feet again. Just before he could make it to a standing position the elevator started once more, and a clatter of droid parts gave testimony to the Jedi Master's indignified spill. Unfazed, Obi-wan sighed in relief and commented, "Now, that's better."

Laurence sat back against the wall, unwilling to put his already bruised body at risk by standing up again. His concerns over how Anakin was faring were answered as the Jedi knight tumbled through the opening in the ceiling. Obi-wan whirled around, activating his lightsaber.

"Oh, it's you," he said in some surprise.

Anakin gave him a 'duh' look and adjusted his robes. "What was all that about?"

"Well, R-2 has been - "

"Hey, no loose wire jokes," Anakin interrupted.

"Did I say anything?" Obi-wan defended himself.

"He's trying," Anakin continued to speak for the droid.

"I didn't say anything!"

Laurence smiled at the argument and ignored the tight feeling he felt whenever he watched Obi-wan and Anakin banter. At one time he had been the padawan working alongside Obi-wan. Those days were long gone now, but Laurence couldn't help but feel some slight regret concerning them.

A short time later, the elevator finally reached the observation platform. Laurence waited until he knew the floor wasn't going to drop from under him before standing and following Obi-wan and Anakin out of the shaft. As they entered the room, Laurence noted the Chancellor sitting in a chair at the end of the hall, electric binders securing his wrists to the armrests. Laurence felt the hair at the back of his neck prickle in warning. Something seemed wrong here, but he couldn't place it.

"Chancellor," Obi-wan bowed as he approached Palpatine.

"Are you all right?" Anakin asked immediately.

Palpatine looked past them. "Count Dooku."

Laurence looked behind him to see the former Jedi standing behind a platform railing, flanked by two destroyer droids.

"This time we will do it _together_," Obi-wan reminded Anakin.

"I was about to say that," Anakin responded.

Dooku made an impressive flip to the ground and approached the Jedi.

"Get help, you're no match for him," Palpatine insisted. "He's a sith lord."

Obi-wan turned and smiled. "Chancellor Palpatine, sith lords are our speciality."

"Your swords, please," Dooku spoke in a smooth tone. "I don't want to make a mess of things in front of the Chancellor."

Laurence fingered the handle of his green blade. This time, he would not allow the Jedi to go into battle alone.

"You won't get away this time, Dooku," Obi-wan said as he and Anakin activated their blue lightsabers. Laurence moved in next to them, keeping a wary eye on Palpatine as a something niggled at his brain.

The three attacked as one, forcing Dooku to excercise all his abilities to hold them off. Laurence was able to fight back well enough with his lightsaber, but without the force he could only provide a distraction against the Count.

"I've been looking forward to this," Dooku's breathing was already heavier, despite his triumphant smile.

"My powers have doubled since the last time we met, _Count_," Anakin said arrogantly.

Dooku smiled, watching Laurence from the corner of his eye as the guardian moved to attack him from behind. "Good, twice the pride, double the fall."

Whirling around, he blocked Laurence's lightsaber as it headed towards his sword arm. A thrust in the force sent the guardian flying backwards, and mere seconds later Obi-wan suffered the same treatment. Laurence winced at the reckless, angry slash Anakin aimed at Dooku's head as he followed the sith up the stairs. Swiping a blaster out, Laurence shot down one of the super battle droids blocking Obi-wan's path. The Jedi Master took out the other, and both he and Laurence moved forward to rejoin the fight.

"Get - " Laurence heard Palpatine start to say.

Kicking Anakin back against the wall, Dooku grabbed Obi-wan in a force choke. Laurence leapt forward to assist him, only to be thrown back by yet another force thrust. Flinging Obi-wan away from him, Dooku scowled in disapointment as the Jedi missed the window. He was undaunted however and used the force to break one of the balcony platforms, sending it crashing onto Obi-wan's legs.

"NO!" Laurence cried out as he leapt towards Dooku. Anakin reached the Count first however, kicking him violently off the balcony. Laurence could feel the fury rolling off the young Jedi in waves. Determined not to let Anakin cause a catastrophe in his dark infused mannerism, Laurence jumped down after them.

Something pushed him as he leapt, however. A force entity that didn't belong to Dooku suddenly tripped his foot, catching it in the railing. Laurence fell to the ground with a crash, feeling a pain shoot up his dislocated right ankle. Dazed but intact otherwise, Laurence scrambled to his knees in horror at the hatred eminating from his clone. Anakin's lightsaber sweeps were lightning fast and backed with the strength of his anger.

"I sense great fear in you, Skywalker," Dooku grunted as he blocked Anakin's incoming lightsaber. "You have hate, you have anger, but you don't use them."

Breaking away, Dooku backed up slightly at the look of pure malice on Anakin's face. Laurence shuddered instinctively and pulled out a blaster. For a minute Laurence thought he saw a brief flash of irritation cross Palpatine's face, but he didn't have time to consider it.

As Dooku threw up his lightsaber to stop Anakin's blade from slicing through his head, Laurence took his chance and shot the sith in the arm. Shouting at the unexpected pain, Dooku jerked back slightly. Anakin didn't hesitate a moment and twisted his lightsaber downwards, severing Dooku's hands at the wrists.

Dooku's eyes widened and he fell to his knees, quivering as shock set in. In too much pain to speak, the sith could only watch as Anakin grabbed his red lightsaber and held the twin blades to his neck.

"Good, Anakin, good," Palpatine congratulated. "Kill him."

Laurence sucked in a breath at the callous words.

"Kill him now," Palpatine repeated. Dooku looked at the Chancellor wide-eyed, and Laurence felt an inkling of suspicion.

Laurence's face darkened as he realized Anakin was hestitating, considering the options Palpatine's order. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked quietly.

"I shouldn't," the Jedi knight said unconvincingly.

"Do it!" the Chancellor insisted.

"No, Anakin don't!" Laurence cried, leaping forward despite the pain in his ankle. Activating his lightsaber, he held he blade to Anakin's throat, halting the Jedi before he could carry out the murder.

Anakin's eyes widened, his gaze filled with shock at the guardian's actions.

"Don't do it, Anakin!" Laurence said heatedly. "Can't you read your own anger right now? He's unarmed! If you kill him now you'll only stoop to his level!"

"You fool, what are you doing?" Palpatine hissed. "He's a criminal! You let him live and you'll be excusing the countless thousands he's murdered!" He turned to Anakin. "Will you let Obi-wan's death go unavenged?"

It was the wrong thing to say. "Jedi don't take revenge," Laurence said forcefully, looking Anakin straight in the eye.

Anakin slowly nodded. "He's right. We have to take him back to Coruscant for trial." Letting his breath out in a gasp of frustration, he deactivated his lightsabers and tossed Dooku's to the ground. Freeing Palpatine's hands, he ran to Obi-wan.

Laurence glared at the Chancellor as he sat back, unable to explain his distrust for the man. Pulling out his medpac, he began tending to Dooku's hands. Unwilling to see the sith suffer despite his crimes, Laurence hastily administered a sedative, sending Dooku into merciful unconsciousness.

"You may regret this mistake later," Palpatine hissed. "A sith is never to be underestimated."

"I don't think he's about to be doing anything," Laurence responded as he smeared bacta on the blackened stumps of Dooku's wrists.

"I don't think you realize how much danger this could place you in, _Anakin_," Palpatine said for Laurence's ears alone.

Laurence stiffened, and Palpatine nodded at his reaction. "Do not think I am the only one who knows of your secret," he said calmly. "You may wish you had allowed young Skywalker to kill Dooku before he could reveal anything."

Laurence continued bandaging Dooku's wrists, but his hands were shaking. Anakin looked up from where he had been checking on Obi-wan.

"He seems to be all right," the Jedi knight reassured.

"Good, you must bring him quickly," Palpatine insisted. "We don't have much time." Inwardly he seethed in anger. He had intended for Kenobi to be left behind, but with the true Anakin Skywalker suspecting his actions, Darth Sidious decided it best to wait. He would still bring the clone back under his control again, even if Kenobi was around.

Aiming a furious glare at Laurence's back, Palpatine smoothed his features back into their calm appearence. He would deal with Skywalker when the time was right. Until then, he would bide his time.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

**Ever notice how Obi-wan keeps reaching to the side of his ship for something? I always assumed he was pressing some controls, but my older sister informed me that he keeps a bag of potato chips there. His look of despair later in the movie hints that he finally ran out.**

** Review!**


	2. Grevious

**Questions answered:**

**LordTarr: Yes, I actually do hope to carry this on to the original trilogy. Soaring on Wings of Flame will have an end this series, but there will be an alternative ending which will lead to Last of the Jedi and hopefully through New Hope and beyond. :)**

**JAPAN TSUNAMI CALL TO ACTION: I know a lot of people read this story, so I want to challenge the readers. I've been thinking about the Tsunami in Japan and wondering how I can help. Obviously my funds won't cover everything, and I can't go there because of school. I want to challenge everyone who reads this chapter to give at least 1 dollar towards an organization specifically for the Japan tsunami. So far I've had over 1,000 unique readers for this story. That would be over 1,000 dollars towards helping the Japanese people after what happened! I hope everyone who reads this will be encouraged to help, as even the smallest gifts matter in the long run. (I'm planning to donate too, so this isn't an empty call to action.)**

**- For Jesus :)**

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .

Laurence knew they were racing against time, but that didn't make the upcoming process any easier.

"Ready?" Anakin asked as he gripped the guardian's right foot tightly.

"Just pull," Laurence winced as he braced himself.

Anakin swiftly jerked Laurence's boot back and gave it a slight twist. There was a satisfying pop as the ankle returned to its socket. Laurence groaned and stumbled to his feet.

"You sure you can walk?" Anakin asked with concern.

"As if I have a choice?" Laurence hissed slightly at the stabbing sensation in his ankle and lifted the unconscious Dooku onto his shoulders.

Palpatine's words continued running through his mind. How had the Chancellor known about his identity? Laurence knew Palpatine wasn't simply fishing around in an attempt to appear intimidating. Somehow Laurence's secret had been discovered, and if Palpatine was right it could very well be known by the Sith as well. Laurence felt a sudden pang of fear for Darra and his sons. Was his family in danger?

"Laurence, let's go!" Anakin called out as he shifted Obi-wan's weight on his shoulders.

Laurence pushed the troubling thoughts out of his mind and limped as fast as his ankle would allow. Right now he could only afford to think about the mission. He would worry about family matters as soon as this was over.

The ship jolted again as Laurence approached the elevator. Apparently the clones were doing a really good job outside. Laurence tried to avoid looking at Palpatine, but the Chancellor's face was implicitely calm. It was as though his conversation with Laurence had never taken place. Laurence tried to convince himself that it wouldn't matter if anyone knew his secret, but the concern remained. Too much was at stake to ignore the implications of Palpatine's statement. If Darra and the boys were in danger...

"Elevator's not working," Anakin muttered, breaking Laurence out of his troubled thoughts.

Laurence sighed and blew his bangs out of his face. Of all the kinds of elevator delays, this was the worst.

"R-2, activate elevator 3224," Anakin ordered over the comlink.

Abruptly the ship plunged into a steep dive, throwing everyone to the floor. Laurence winced as Dooku's head hit the pavement. He did not envy the hospital bill the Count would be facing when he woke.

Laurence felt himself start to slide across the ship, and he swiftly activated one of the jagged blades in his glove compartments and thrust it into the floor. Anakin meanwhile had forced the elevator door open, and Palpatine was scrabbling to get inside. Letting go of Dooku and hoping the Count would remain on his shoulders, Laurence activated the blade in his other glove and pulled himself to the elevator.

"Do you really think it's smart to travel in an upside down elevator?" he called to Anakin as he stumbled to his feet and followed the Jedi knight.

"Shut up and run!" Anakin replied.

Without warning the ship began to level out, throwing everyone off their feet and sending them plummeting down the elevator chute. Laurence reached out and scrabbled at the walls as he fell, finally catching hold of a cable hanging just a few feet from an open passage.

"I told you the upside down elevator was dangerous!" he shouted up to where Anakin was hanging several levels up.

"All right, I get the picture," Anakin called down. "It's not like we had much of a choice in the matter."

"Not much of a choice," Laurence muttered. "He couldn't have waited five minutes?" Searching the shaft, he tried to figure out how to get across the elevator without dropping Dooku.

Poor Obi-wan on the other hand, appeared to have been newly introduced to the 'drop-down-the-elevator-chute' experience. There was a shout and a scuffle, and Laurence looked up to see the Jedi Master practically strangling Anakin in his attempts to keep from falling.

"Easy, easy," Anakin grunted. "We're in a bit of a situation here."

"Did I miss something?" Obi-wan asked as he looked down the dark shaft.

"Hold on," Anakin panted as he tried to keep his grip despite the extra weight of two people hanging onto him.

"What's that?" Obi-wan asked as a shrill whistle split the air.

"Uh, oops!" Anakin quickly grabbed his comlink as the elevator sped towards them. "R-2, shut down the elevator."

"Too late, jump!" Obi-wan shouted.

Laurence's eyes widened as he saw the monstor racing towards them. Grabbing the the latch of his force binder with his teeth, he unclipped it and leapt for the entrance. The blast of force rocked Laurence to the core like always, but it gave him the boost he needed to leap the distance. Rolling to a stop, Laurence hastily re-latched the force binder and hoped Anakin hadn't noticed.

He should have known his clone wouldn't miss it.

"Aren't you ever going to take that thing off?" Anakin asked point-blankly as he swung into the passage with his cable launcher.

Laurence met his level stare without flinching. "Does it matter?"

"It does to me!" Anakin replied heatedly. "If you're really my brother, which you say you are, then why hide it all the time?"

"Anakin, this really isn't the time to discuss this," Obi-wan broke in. He knew Laurence wasn't really Anakin's brother, but he was still wary of breaking the news to his padawan. He wasn't sure how Anakin would react to the idea of having a clone.

Anakin shot him a dark look but held his tongue. "Let's see if we can find something that's still flyable," Obi-wan proposed as he tried to move both young men past the touchy conversation.

"R-2, get down here," Anakin ordered into the comlink. His gaze told Laurence, 'we're not done with this yet.'

"Let's get moving," Obi-wan nodded as he led the way down the passage. Laurence picked up Dooku and placed him back over his shoulders. Things were looking bleaker all the time.

Due to his bad ankle, Laurence was further behind the Jedi and Palpatine as they ran down the corridor. When a ray shield activated, Laurence was able to escape it.

"Ray shields," Anakin sighed.

"Wait a minute! How did this happen? We're smarter than this!" Obi-wan said incredulously.

"Apparently not," Anakin reacted calmly. "I say patience."

"Patience?" Obi-wan raised an eyebrow.

Laurence rolled his eyes and fiddled with the controls along the wall. 'Anakin' and 'patience' were not two words that could be used together in a sentence. Any Jedi who thought otherwise had jumped off the cliff of insanity.

"Yes, patience," Anakin responded to Obi-wan's sarcastic look. "R-2 will be along in a few moments and then he'll release the ray shields."

Laurence shook his head at the ceiling and pulled a wire out of the wall. The Jedi looked around in confusion as the ray shield disappeared.

"Or... we could just wait for Laurence to take care of it," Anakin shrugged and grinned sheepishly.

Just then there was a high pitched scream as R-2 flew through the door. K-L5 followed right after, but while R-2 managed to bump into the wall, K-L5 kept going.

"Oh well, I guess we won't be seeing him again," Laurence said pleasantly as K-L5's squeals echoed down the hall.

Anakin smirked at Obi-wan. "See? No problem."

His triumph was vanquished as several droidekas, battle droids, and a host of super battle droids entered the hallway from three different angles.

"Don't move," one super battle droid ordered. R-2 zapped its hand and got knocked over for his efforts.

"Do you have a plan B?" Obi-wan questioned dryly.

Laurence sighed. "I knew that elevator was a bad idea."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Laurence was feeling rather tired of the mission by the time the droids finished dragging them to the command sector. His ankle was shooting pain up his entire lower leg, and he was not keen on meeting Grevious without a lightsaber on hand. On the good side, Laurence's hands were free due to the neccessity of someone carrying Dooku. The extra weight was killing his ankle, however, and Laurence was beginning to wonder why he hadn't requested that Obi-wan carry the Sith in the first place.

"Ah, yes. The negotiator," Grevious rasped in a throaty growl as the five entered the command center, "General Kenobi. We've been waiting for you."

"'Scuse me," one of the battle droids said politely as he pushed past Obi-wan.

Grevious ignored it. "That wasn't much of a rescue," he taunted as he snatched the Jedi's lightsabers from the droid.

"You're welcome," the droid hinted in annoyance.

"And," Grevious coughed a moment before continuing, "Anakin Skywalker. I was expecting someone with your reputation to be a little... older." He stalked up to Anakin as he spoke, breathing harshly in the Jedi's face.

"General Grevious," Anakin said calmly, though he seemed revolted by the cyborg standing in front of him. "You're shorter than I expected."

Grevious coughed and turned away. "Jedi scum!"

"We have a job to do, Anakin," Obi-wan reminded. "Try not to upset him."

"As for Laurence Stalin."

Laurence glanced up as the cyborg adressed him.

"For being the Queen's guardian, you aren't much of a rescuer," Grevious chuckled and coughed.

Laurence rolled his eyes. "I find it hard to imagine you have anything but circuits in your brain. Talked with any female protocol droids lately?"

He knew immediately that it had been the wrong insult. With a growl Grevious stomped up to Laurence and backhanded him across the face. Laurence tumbled to the floor, losing his grip on the unconscious Dooku. Already Laurence could feel a bruise forming on his cheek from the cyborg's hand.

"I would watch what I say if I were you," Grevious threatened before stalking back to the front of the command central.

"Laurence, are you all right?" Obi-wan asked in concern.

Laurence gingerly touched his cheek and willed the stars to disappear from his vision. "I think I just learned why you don't tease battle droids," he muttered. "I'm fine," he called to Obi-wan.

Grevious snorted in reply. "Your lightsabers will make a fine addition to my collection."

"Not this time," Obi-wan retorted. "And this time, you won't escape."

"R-2!" Anakin signalled.

The droid began activating every single one of its controls, creating a small chaotic scene. Laurence rolled behind the cover of a control panel and kicked the legs out from under a droid. Quickly he grabbed its blaster, and was pleased to look up and see that Obi-wan and Anakin had their hands free and lightsabers drawn.

"Crush them!" Grevious shouted as an alarm sounded. "Make them suffer!"

Laurence kept back behind the control panel and continued picking off droids with his blaster. The weapon wasn't nearly as effective as his lightsaber, but unless Laurence wanted to remove the force binder or risk losing his vital organs, he wasn't going to go within ten feet of Grevious.

"Come. _Now._" a battle droid ordered. Laurence looked over his shoulder and saw two battle droids leading Palpatine away. Reaching behind him, he calmly shot the droids while Anakin leapt over and freed the Chancellor's hands.

"Stay at your stations," Grevious ordered, pushing aside a few unfortunate battle droids.

Obi-wan in the meantime was able to decimate another of Greviou's body guards. A few battle droids scrambled to get out of his way. Laurence felt a brief burst of pity for one and quickly dived to the side and pulled it away from the oncoming Jedi.

"Thank you, sir," the droid said gratefully as it rubbed its metal head. Laurence wondered if it was the same 'polite' droid that had handed his lightsaber over to Grevious.

"Don't bother with them," Grevious' raspy shout came. "Keep the ship in orbit!"

The battle droid Laurence had rescued tried to stand. "I must obey my orders," it complained as Laurence shoved it down again. Laurence rolled his eyes and considered deactivating the droid for the time being.

Grevious meanwhile had run to the very front of the ship. Stooping down, he grabbed a fallen vibroblade. Anakin and Obi-wan leapt to intercept the cyborg, cornering him.

"You lose, General Kenobi!" Grevious growled as he threw the vibroblade into the window. The glass shattered under the pressure, launching Grevious into space. Anakin and Obi-wan grabbed at the control panel in front of them as the vortex of space threatened to suck them through. Laurence clung to a pipe stuck in the wall and grabbed the polite battle droid as it slid by him.

"Ah! Help!" it called.

Laurence gasped for breath and ignored the droid's cries. To his relief there was the clanging of metal as a safety shield slammed into place, replacing the fallen glass shielding. Obi-wan and Anakin didn't waste a second as they finished destroying the remaining droids in the ship. Laurence casually hit the deactivation switch on 'his' battle droid and let it slump against the wall.

A warning beep echoed from the controls, bringing Laurence's mind back to their predicament.

"All the escape pods have been launched," Anakin sighed.

"Grevious. Can you fly a cruiser like this?" Obi-wan asked, looking to both Anakin and Laurence.

Anakin seemed to be ignoring the fact that Laurence even existed right now. "You mean do I know how to land what's left of this thing?" he asked as he stole the pilot seat.

"Well?" Obi-wan stood aside and allowed Laurence to take the copilot seat. Laurence did so gratefully, anxious to have the controls in his hands.

"Well, under the circumstances I'd say the ability to pilot this thing is irrelevant," Anakin replied to Obi-wan's question. "Strap yourselves in."

The ship began falling into a dive as the controls failed. "Open all hatches, extend all flaps and drag fins," Anakin ordered Laurence.

Laurence would normally have chaffed under being given orders from his clone when it concerned piloting, but the circumstances were dire enough that he decided not to argue.

Abruptly a blast threw them forward as alarms started wailing.

"Uh-oh," R-2 beeped.

"We lost something," Anakin said worriedly.

Obi-wan looked at the charts. "Not to worry, we are still flying _half_ a ship."

Laurence closed his eyes a moment. "Oh, joy." He hoped K-L5 had been left on the ship section that was now floating in space.

The crumbled hull of the ship began plummeting towards Coruscant's atmosphere. Drag fins and other pieces of the ship caught fire and sheared off the cruiser.

"Now we're really picking up speed," Anakin said tensely.

Laurence swallowed hard, his mind on Darra and the boys.

"Eight plus sixteen," Obi-wan read off one of the charts. "We're in the atmosphere!"

"Grab that and keep us level." Anakin pointed out a lever to Laurence.

The clouds were now zooming past them as the ship sped steadily downwards. Obi-wan was beginning to look nervous, and R-2 beeped worriedly.

"Easy, R-2!" Anakin snapped.

Obi-wan contacted several emergency ships as they neared Coruscant's top level. "Fire ships on the left and the right," he ordered the pilots.

"We'll take you in," the pilots answered.

Laurence breathed a sigh of relief and pulled the lever back further as the ship threatened to take a steeper dive. Adjusting a few controls, he managed to level the cruiser.

"Landing strip straight ahead," Obi-wan pointed out.

Anakin shook his head. "We're coming in too hot!"

"Not like we have much of a choice," Laurence shrugged as he jettisoned the fuel tanks. It wouldn't do any good for the cruiser to explode right after landing.

He wasn't a moment too soon. Seconds later the ship slammed into the landing strip, shearing away the entire bottom half of the cruiser. R-2 began screaming madly, and Laurence winced as a building was cut down. He could have sworn he heard a very familiar screaming...

Finally the ship screeched to a stop, throwing everyone back in the seats. Obi-wan smiled and ran a hand through his hair. "Another happy landing."

Laurence rolled his eyes and stumbled out of the copilot chair, nodding to the medics who hastily entered to take care of Dooku. Several security guards were waiting for them as the rescue team exited the ship. Standing alongside them was a very blackened and ill tempered twi'lek.

"YOU!" the twi'lek shouted as soon as he caught sight of Laurence. Stomping up, he crossed his arms and glared at the guardian.

Laurence narrowed his eyes and studied the soot covered twi'lek. "Jilzan?"

The twi'leks eye twitched and he breathed furiously for a moment before replying, "YOU BLITHERING DUNDERHEAD! YOU SELFISH, FOOLISH, BLUNDERING, IMBICELE! HOW **DARE **YOU DRIVE YOUR STUPID SHIP THROUGH MY BELOVED SUMMER HOME! YOU COGNITIVE INGENUOUS INTUITIVE - "

"Jilzan, those aren't even real insults," Laurence pointed out dryly.

"AND FURTHERMORE, YOU - " Jilzan's eyes widened as Anakin emerged from the ship. "But - but you can't - on, no, NOT **TWO **OF THEM!"

Anakin gave the twi'lek a puzzled glance, then turned to Laurence. "A friend of yours?"

"I've had the misfortune to make his aquantance," Laurence shrugged.

"But you - it's not - he can't..." Jilzan seemed overcome by this turn of events and clapped a hand against his forehead. "YOU!" he finally accused Laurence, "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MUTE! YOU BLITHERING IDIOT! YOU KRAYAT DRAGON IN NERF'S CLOTHING! YOU BANTHA BRAINED IMBICELE! YOU - "

"Mr. Tai-bika, perhaps you should sit down a minute," one of the security guards came up and put a hand on Jilzan's shoulder. "I'm sorry sir," he apologized to Laurence. "I think he's in a bit of a shock right now. He barely left his house in time before your ship smashed through it."

"YOU STOLE MY BUSINESS, YOU DABBLING DUNDERHEAD!" Jilzan continued berating. "YOU FILTHLY LITTLE LIAR!" his voice squeaked on the last part.

"Bye, Jilzan," Laurence smiled pleasantly as he turned to follow Anakin and Obi-wan.

"WAIT, I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU YET!" Jilzan shouted. "COME BACK HERE YOU LITTLE BRAT! YOU HORRID EXAMPLE OF A STAR PILOT! YOU CLAUSTROPHOBIC FOUL BREATHED NERF HERDER! YOU IGNORAMOUS FOOL HEADED IMBECILIC NUANCE!"

"I think I remember that Jilzan," Obi-wan commented. "I believe he's still in the Queen's service. Did you work for him?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Laurence confirmed. "And he's the one with the bad breath, not me."

Anakin chuckled at the image as Jilzan's screams continued.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

**My older sister and I always wondered if that was Bail Organa's house that got knocked down. Now you know what really happened. ;)**

**I think a lot of you have seen by now that Laurence has a very different personality from Anakin. This is what probably would have happened if I had given into older reviews and made Laurence marry **_**Padme**_** instead of Darra.**

**.com/watch?v=ku17InceClM**


	3. You Have to Tell Him

**Floating Leaves: I think Jilzan's "house" actually was a tower, but I always had fun imagining it as someone's apartment.**

**Eugh. A lot of mush in this chapter, but then again Padme and Anakin were never any better. This chapter is mainly put together of family scenes.**

**... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... **

Laurence breathed a sigh of relief as the transport drew near the Jedi temple. Dooku was in custody now, and Anakin had left as soon as they arrived at the senate building. Laurence had a feeling he knew exactly which senator the Jedi Knight was looking for.

"Remember to get that ankle looked at," Obi-wan ordered as the transport landed.

Laurence rolled his eyes. "Yes, Master," he joked, then winced. That particular statement was far too close to home to use lightly. "You know, you're lucky," he commented to Obi-wan.

Obi-wan gave him the questioning eyebrow.

Laurence leaned against the doorpost, his eyes dancing with mirth. "All you have to do is give some boring old report to the Jedi Council."

"And that's not a horror in itself?" Obi-wan asked.

Laurence grimaced. "I've got one perfect little angel that my wife will compare me to, a raging tornado who is probably tearing apart the light switches as we speak, and a cranky Jedi who will be asking why I wasn't around to watch the boys while she fixed supper."

"You're anxious to get home, aren't you?" Obi-wan summarized.

Laurence sighed, his eyes wistful. "Like crazy."

... ... ... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. ...

"Dad's here!" came the expected shout as soon as Laurence entered the library. Instantly a high pitched screaming filled the air.

"Laurence Stalin, control your child!" Darra's voice rang out.

Several Jedi smiled at the chaotic situation. Trouble was attracted to Laurence's family like a magnet. No room in the temple was safe when the children got loose.

Ferus ran up to his father and allowed Laurence to scoop him into his arms. "Dad, yur back, yur back!" he shouted happily.

"Aw, come on," Laurence laughed. "As if I could stay away from your mother's cooking?"

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Darra replied pertly, though Laurence could see that she was pleased at the compliment. Laurence put Ferus down and swept his wife into a kiss, ignoring the outraged shouts from his youngest son.

"I missed you so much," he whispered to Darra as he hugged her close. The mission had lasted less than two days, but Laurence felt as though he had been gone for weeks.

"Don't scare me like that again," Darra pleaded, her eyes serious. "When the reports came in that your ship had been - "

"Later darling," Laurence hushed, glancing down at Ferus's wide eyed expression. "Let's not scare the kids," he whispered.

"Who's scaring whom?" Darra rolled her eyes as she plucked a crying Jamie off her shoulder and plopped him into Laurence's arms. "He's been terrorizing the temple ever since you left."

Jamie hiccupped and clutched Laurence's vest with his tiny hands, laying his head against his Daddy's chest.

"Doesn't he always cause havoc?" Laurence pointed out.

"Not within catastrophe range," Darra shook her head ruefully. "Mace Windu is starting to consider himself lucky to have Teff as a padawan."

Laurence winced. "That bad, huh?"

"You have no idea," Darra responded.

Ferus tugged on Laurence's pant leg to get his attention. "Master Ti says I behave real well," he said with a gap toothed smile.

"That's fantastic, Ferus!" Laurence praised, even though he had expected no less from his 'perfect' son.

Jamie began squalling as his father's attention was redirected, causing the keeper of the archives to begin hinting to the family to leave the premises.

"All right, all right, little rancor," Laurence shushed as he tossed Jamie in the air once and carried him out of the room. "Didn't we discuss something about not disturbing the sleeping dust mice?"

Jamie bent his head in shame and fiddled with Laurence's vest. "Fogot," he lisped and looked up with his rusty, puppy dog eyes.

Laurence sighed. "Darra? How do you ever manage to discipline this kid?"

"Easy. He behaves and he gets a treat. He disobeys and he gets a sharp 'No.' Try it sometime, it might work." Darra smiled and took her youngest son. Jamie cooed in his unintelligable language and wrapped his arms around his mother's neck. Yawning, he settled in for a late afternoon nap.

"I feel left out," Laurence complained as he watched the scene.

Darra grinned. "Honey, don't forget about Ferus."

"What? Forget about my eldest son?" Laurence asked in mock horror as he hoisted Ferus into his arms. "Come on, Darra. Forget about making dinner tonight and let's head to Dex's."

"Sounds great. What's the occasion?" Darra asked with mild curiousity.

Laurence shrugged. "Nothing. I'm just glad to be home."

Darra raised her eyebrows. "Something's bothering you, isn't it?"

"Like I said, I'm glad to be home and I want a chance to relax," Laurence evaded.

Darra gave him the 'we'll discuss this later' look but dropped the subject.

"You gonna get dizzy like last time?" Ferus asked innocently.

Laurence coughed in embarrassment as he remembered the last time he had tried a klang at Dex's diner. He still didn't remember any of the trip home, except for the fact that Darra had insisted she drive.

"No Ferus, I plan to walk out of there with all my senses intact," Laurence answered.

"Wish him luck," Darra replied, her eyes twinkling in amusement.

Laurence rolled his eyes. "You're never going to let me forget that, are you."

"Only if you treat me to a dinner for two," Darra responded coyly.

Laurence weighed the options. "I suppose I could get Obi-wan to babysit. Did you have anywhere special in mind?"

"Dex's!" Ferus crowed in exhuberance.

"No, anything but that!" Darra and Laurence exchanged a horrified glance.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Dinner was a disaster. Jamie screamed at his food and planted a fist on the bowl, flinging mashed up rancor steak across the aisle. Darra was forced to speak sharply in order to calm him down, and Laurence had to apologize to the customer who got splattered with the brown goup that had been Jamie's supper. Ferus stared wide eyed at the scene and demurely finished his own dinner. By the time everything was over, Laurence wished he had never suggested the trip to Dex's.

"You really have a talent for getting into trouble, don't you?" Darra scolded as she buckled Jamie into his safety belt.

Jamie cried and smeared tiny particles of food into his clothing.

"I don't get it," Laurence shook his head as he strapped himself into the pilot seat. "I was never that much trouble when I was a kid."

"Don't be too sure of that," Darra replied. "I pity your mother."

"Aw, come on, I wasn't that bad," Laurence made a face.

"Really?" Darra asked with a grin. "You seem to be pretty dangerous now."

"Don't get me started," Laurence answered, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Honey, there's kids in the speeder," Darra reminded him.

Laurence sighed. "Ah, yes, the consequences of being a parent. When did you want that dinner for two?"

"Anytime," Darra smiled as she leaned over and put her head on Laurence's shoulder. "That is, _after_ we get a babysitter for the kids," she added as an afterthought.

Laurence sighed in content and steered the speeder through the late night traffic. Ferus and Jamie were asleep in the back, and Darra was at his side. For the moment at least, he could be granted the illusion that everything was right with the world.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Laurence sighed and paced around the room, Darra's gaze following him step for step.

"I just don't know what to do, Darra," he finally sighed. "Everything seems to be crumbling all around me. Most of all I'm worried for you and the kids. What if something happens?"

If Darra had been anything like a true Jedi, she might have reminded Laurence of the dangers of the fear accompaning attachment. As it was, her own mother's instincts showed through all too often and Darra shared Laurence's need to protect their children.

"Maybe it's time we tell the temple about this," she suggested carefully.

Laurence sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Master Yoda already knows," he responded. Darra gasped softly at the revelation and Laurence smiled bitterly. "I guess I couldn't keep it hidden forever." Sighing, he continued to pace slowly around the room.

"I want you to stay at the temple from now on," Laurence finally decided.

Darra blinked in surprise. "_What_?"

Laurence nodded, his gaze serious. "It's just until the war is over. I need to know you'll be safe while I'm gone, Darra. I can't focus on a mission when I'm worried about you or the kids." His eyes pleaded for Darra to understand. "I need you to do this for me, Darra."

Darra sighed. The request made sense, but she didn't like it. "What about when you're home? We can't move the whole family into the temple _permanently_!"

"No, and I would never expect you to put up with that," Laurence agreed. "It'll just be while I'm gone. Please, Darra. I won't feel like you're safe otherwise."

Darra rolled her eyes. "Laurence, I'm a Jedi you know. I can take care of myself."

"I know that," Laurence answered. "But there's Jamie and Ferus to think about too. I don't want to take any chances."

Darra sighed. "You know, this is why the Council doesn't exactly care for Jedi having families ," she commented. Running a hand over her face, she let out another deep sigh. "Oh, all right," she gave in. "If it makes you that worried, I'll take the kids to the temple while you're away."

Laurence nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Darra."

Darra bit her lip in concern. "Laurence... are you that worried about the Sith? Could the kids really be in danger from them?"

"I don't know," Laurence answered truthfully. "It may be a false alarm. Maybe nothing will change. I just don't want to take any chances."

Darra fingered a strand of her hair and considered. "It seems strange that Chancellor Palpatine would know of your identity. I don't trust him, Laurence."

"You're not the only one," Laurence huffed. "I don't know why my clone seems to think he's such a great man. The Council is beginning to suspect something is going on, why doesn't he?"

"Laurence, I think we need Obi-wan what's really going on," Darra suggested gently. "He needs to know what happened with Anakin."

Laurence shook his head. "Don't ask me to do that, Darra. I can't face him yet."

"Laurence, it's been six years. Don't place your children in danger just because your afraid of him!"

"I'm not afraid of him," Laurence snapped, the tension causing his patience to fray. He let out a shaky breath and rubbed his forehead. "I'm just not ready to tell him the truth yet. It's too complicated by now."

"You _have_ to tell him eventually," Darra insisted. "And if you don't, I'll do it myself. I won't let our family be torn apart because of this. I was willing to keep your secret for your sake, Laurence, but I won't keep silent if it places our family in danger."

"You're right," Laurence nodded as he ran a hand through his hair. "This is getting too far. Give me some time to break it to him. I'll figure out the best way to let him know."

"_Please_ hurry," Darra begged. "I don't want the kids to be placed in danger. Please, Laurence. For me. Settle this as soon as possible."

"I promise," Laurence reassured her. "As soon as I can, I'll tell him."

... ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... ...

**This too me for**_**ever**_** to work out, and it was supposed to be a simple chapter! Hopefully the next one will be easier.**

**Review! :D**


	4. Can't You See It?

**Birthday Special! For my birthday this year I decided to try and update all of my five main stories at once. You can imagine I had a pretty frantic week with all that writing...**

**... ... .. .. .. ... .. ... .. .. ..**

_'CRASH!'_

Darra jumped and spun around at the sound. "Laurence, is everything okay?"

"Yep, we're fine," her husband's voice responded. A few minutes later Laurence joined her at the window, wiping his hands off and looking quite satisfied.

"What was that?" Darra asked.

"What, this?" Laurence as as he swung her into a deep kiss.

Darra's eyes widened and she wrapped her arms around Laurence's neck for a moment before gently pushing him away. "All right," she said firmly, "What happened?"

"Nothing," Laurence responded as he kissed her neck. "The kids are in bed, we're alone for the first time in two weeks, and I just broke one of your least favorite plates."

Darra pulled away from him. "You mean those horrid brown and white things I threw out with the trash?"

Laurence grinned cheekily. "I needed something to break. The furnace won't miss them."

"You mean you purposely _broke_ _a plate_?"

Laurence shrugged. "I was stressed. It was either that or Dooku's head."

Darra smacked her forehead with her palm. "You broke a plate because you were _stressed_?"

"Isn't that what I just told you?" Laurence asked in perplexion. "What am I not getting through here?"

Darra sighed. "Laurence, you can't just break something every time you're upset. It's terrible anger management!"

Laurence shrugged. "Why? I used to smash podracers. It's never hurt my temperment as far as I can tell. Did I tell you how beautiful you look in that shade of green?"

Darra groaned and covered her face with her hand. She couldn't hold a straight face, however, as she laughed softly and shook her head. "Laurence, how long have you been breaking plates to release tension?"

Laurence shrugged. "Ever since Mom asked me to trash a plate she hated five years ago."

"And now you're taking it out on those detestable things I bought on Maiwan?" Darra couldn't hide her amusement at the prospect.

Laurence blinked in confusion. "Yeah, is there a problem with that?"

Darra laughed softly. "Laurence, sometimes you can be so clueless."

Laurence scratched his head, obviously not following. "What did I miss?"

"Oh dear, oh dear," Darra rubbed her forehead and grinned. "You do realize the kids are probably terrified out of their wits right now, don't you?"

"Oh, them? I made sure they were asleep. Jamie's out like a light, so there's no problem."

Darra rolled her eyes. "Laurence if I didn't know you better I'd ask where you got your dillusions of being a proper father."

"Well, don't I take good care of them?" Laurence asked his expression hurt. "I thought I _was_ a good father."

Darra groaned. "Only you could be a hero of the galaxy one minute and act like a pathetic lost puppy the next." Smiling encouragingly, she kissed the puzzled Laurence before he could say anything more.

"Come on," Darra told him. "You're right. This is the first time we've been alone in two weeks. I'd hate to waste it."

Laurence smiled and ran his hand through Darra's golden hair. "Sooo, what about that thing you were saying with the - "

His sentence was cut off as Jamie's screams echoed through the room. Laurence closed his eyes in agitation at the spoiled moment.

"Out like a light, huh?" Darra raised an eyebrow before flaunting out of the room.

Laurence groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "Great, now my own kids are conspiring against me."

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Laurence continued to study the holographic charts depicting the locations of the Outer Rim sieges. Taking a deep breath, he summoned his courage to speak what was on his mind.

"Obi-wan, there's something I need to talk to you about."

At that moment the door hissed open as Anakin strode in. "You wanted to see me, Master?"

Laurence sighed and leaned onto the table. He ran a hand through his hair in agitation. Somehow his clone always managed to appear at the worst of times.

"You missed the report on the Outer Rim sieges," Obi-wan turned to Anakin.

"I'm sorry, I was held up," Anakin apologized. "I have no excuse."

Laurence could hear the frustration in the Jedi's tone and wondered what was wrong. Anakin's posture was tense and his voice curt. Obviously something was on his mind.

"In short, they are going very well," Obi-wan replied as he turned off the hologram. "Silucamaya has fallen, and Master Vos has moved his troops to Bos Pite."

"What's wrong then?" Anakin pressed.

Obi-wan's brow was creased in concern. "The Senate is expected to vote more executive powers to the Chancellor."

"Well that can only mean less delibration and more action," Anakin replied. "Is that bad? It will make it easier for us to win this war."

"Be careful of your friend Palpatine," Obi-wan said shortly as he moved past Anakin.

"Be careful of what?" Anakin demanded.

"He has requested your presence," Obi-wan replied as he continued up the stairs.

"What for?" Anakin pestered.

Laurence left the holographic table and followed the two Jedi, being careful not to put too much strain on his still healing ankle.

"He would not say," Obi-wan answered Anakin's question.

"He didn't inform the council? That's unusual, isn't it?"

"All of this is unusual," Obi-wan said tensely. "And it's making me feel un_easy_."

Laurence quickened his pace to a near run as Obi-wan and Anakin seperated. "Obi-wan, there's something - "

"Master Kenobi, Captain Typho has requested your presence in the command center," a Jedi informed Obi-wan.

"Tell me later, Laurence," Obi-wan nodded. He hesitated. "Unless it's _really_ important."

The pressure of the moment was too much for Laurence. "No," he shook his head. "I'll wait."

Inwardly he groaned and kicked himself for the answer. What had he been thinking? The truth was, Laurence still was afraid of facing his master. He knew it had to be done, but his courage had deserted him. Running a hand through his hair, Laurence sighed in frustration and left the temple.

... .. ... .. ... .. .. . ... ... ..

"Me? A master?"

Laurence hesitated outside the door of Palpatine's office. He had been on his way to speak to Senator Organna, but Anakin's voice halted him in his tracks. Laurence knew he was evesdropping, but then again, when did he ever follow the rules of etiquette?

"I'm overwhelmed, Sir," Anakin's voice continued. "But the Council only elects its own members. They'll never accept this."

"I think they will," Palpatine replied smoothly. "They _need_ you. More than you know."

Laurence clenched his jaw and waited until the door hissed open. Palpatine looked mildly suprised at his appearence, and Laurence gave him a curt nod.

"Chancellor."

"Ah, young Stalin," Palpatine greeted, a brief flash of irritation crossing his face. "Was there something you wished to discuss with me?"

Laurence bowed stiffly. "Thank you, Chancellor, but it was Jedi Skywalker that I wished to speak with."

Palpatine smiled tightly. "Come now, Laurence, there's no need to be so formal. We're all friends here, aren't we?"

Laurence grinned around clenched teeth, feeling as though there was a war on for who could be the most polite. "I just need to talk to Anakin for a moment, Chancellor."

"Of course," Palpatine drawled nonchallantly. "Excuse me, then. I have some business I must attend to."

Laurence waited until Palpatine had disappeared down the hall before leading Anakin away in the other direction.

"What was that about?" Anakin asked.

Laurence rolled his eyes and pulled Anakin into a seperate room. "I don't trust him," he said as soon as the doors slid shut.

"Who?" Anakin instantly questioned. "The Chancellor?"

Laurence nodded. "I don't like what he's talking about with the Jedi Council. It's almost as if - "

"You were listening in on our conversation, weren't you?" Anakin rounded on him instantly.

Laurence's brow furrowed at his clone's sudden change in attitude. "I couldn't help but overhear," he admitted. "And I don't like how the Chancellor is meddling in Jedi affairs. There's something about him that doesn't feel right, can't you sense it?"

"Don't talk to me about what the Chancellor should or shouldn't be doing!" Anakin responded. "You're not a Jedi, how can you expect to understand? Obi-wan is already accusing the Chancellor, and now you start in. I'm beginning to wonder if the whole temple distrusts him!"

Laurence leaned back against the wall. "There's no need to get angry over it," he snapped. "Besides what evidence has he shown the Jedi to prove he _can_ be trusted?"

"The Chancellor is not an enemy," Anakin responded. "I don't see why everyone considers him to be a threat. Obviously he's brought the galaxy closer to the end of this war. He's been an asset to the Senate ever since he arrived."

"Something doesn't match up with this!" Laurence insisted. "He's been in the place of emergency powers for three years now. That's far too long for anyone to hold control of the Senate! Think about the recent events, Anakin. The Chancellor is kidnapped, yet neither Dooku nor Grevious do anything to harm him. He meddles in Jedi affairs, knows the makings of the Council inside out, and has taken it upon himself to put _you_ in a position there. He's setting you up, Anakin! I don't know what he wants, but he's using you to get it!"

Anakin's eyes flashed with blue fire. "Don't you dare accuse the Chancellor like that in front of me again!"

Laurence threw his hands in the air. "Listen to me, Anakin - "

"No! You listen to me! I don't know what you have against the Chancellor, but I know that he's a good man and my friend! If you have anything further to say you can talk to Obi-wan about it! I'm sure he'd be more than happy to discuss things with you." Anakin turned and strode away, seething in barely withheld rage.

Laurence waited until the Jedi left before kicking a chair across the room. He knew his clone was thick headed, but he had never realized things were this bad. Was Anakin really that closed minded when it came to the Chancellor? Worse still, was this how _he_ would have been had he remained at the temple? Laurence didn't know.

Letting out a hiss of frustration, Laurence stalked out of the room. He needed to speak with the Council about this.

**... .. ... ... .. ... ... .. .. ... ..**

**The plate section was just for fun. My sister and I always had Anakin break plates when he was upset, so I decided to add that into this chapter. You can tell we never had much of a life.**

**Everything in Episode 3 is about Anakin's plummet to the dark side, so it's harder writing Laurence into the scenes. Oh, well, we'll get it to work out somehow. :)**

**Review! :D**


	5. Doubts and Revelations

Laurence cupped his chin in his hand as he studied the holographic images. Over and over he played the tapes, searching for that one glitch, that slight miscalculation that might prove reason to suspect Chancellor Palpatine. Laurence couldn't get past the nervous chill he felt whenever he entered the same room as the Chancellor. Something was off, and he knew instinctively that it went deeper than the Senate. Even through the force binder around his wrist he could feel a prickling warning about something he couldn't put a name to.

Laurence sighed and started the holographic reel over again. There seemed to be something wrong with the tapes, but he couldn't - wait. There it was. The images scrabbled backwards again as he rewound. Again, there was that slight pause, a skip in the transmission. Laurence ran the section once more just to be sure. There was no doubt. Someone had deleated a segment of the recording.

Unclipping the catch on his force binder, Laurence allowed a small stream of power to flow into him. As always a thrill ran through him, as though the force itself was joyous at being allowed back into his life. His senses sharpened to a degree, Laurence turned back to the hacked computer.

Skips began to appear more frequently as his attuned senses caught the miniscule pauses in the recording. Laurence suspected that entire conversations had been blocked out at times. The Chancellor was cunning in his deception. He would always step to the same position before discontinuing and restarting the holographic tapes. If one didn't really know what to look for, it would appear that he was merely passing by the camera.

Laurence leaned back in his chair, a sense of foreboding overwhelming him. The force swirled around him despite its contained state, chiding him for not understanding its dire warnings. But what were they about? He couldn't entirely place it, but Laurence knew he had felt this sensation before. Something jogged his memory whenever he was near Palpatine, but the image eluded him. Whatever it was, it didn't feel right.

Something caught Laurence's attention and he drew in a sharp breath. The entire conversation between Anakin and the Chancellor was missing. Why hadn't he noticed it before? Such a crucial piece of information...it wasn't surprising that Palpatine had erased it from the tapes. But why? What was he trying to hide?

Rubbing his temples, Laurence winced and shut off the computer screen. Latching the force binder closed, he took a deep breath to clear his head. This was getting way too complicated. It was far too deep a mystery for him to muddle things out on his own. Rising to his feet, Laurence set out in search of Mace Windu.

.. .. . .. .. . .. . .. ... ..

Meanwhile, Anakin was doing some research of his own.

"I don't really get it, Mom. It doesn't match up!"

"Honey, what are you talking about?" Shmi's face was preterbed.

Anakin flopped into a chair and glared at the wall. "Sometimes I wonder if Laurence is really my brother."

"All right then, what makes you think he isn't?"

There it was. An evassive answer that didn't deny the fact, but didn't entirely accept it either.

"I checked Watto's records," Anakin said quietly. There! A flicker in Shmi's eyes. He didn't have to be a Jedi to catch his mother's surprise. Anakin sat up, her gaze serious. "Tell me the truth. Is Laurence my brother?"

.. .. .. .. . .. .. . .. .. .

"You're certain of this?" Mace Windu questioned as he continued down the hall.

"I heard the conversation myself," Laurence affirmed. "I checked the tapes multiple times afterwards. The entire section had been erased."

"The Chancellor has no business in Jedi affairs," Windu pointed out the obvious. "He knows this. It's not in his mandate."

Laurence nodded, then tried not to squirm as Windu gave him a pointed look.

"Did you find any other information to report?"

"No, sir," Laurence shook his head. "A number of dull, political speeches, but nothing that hasn't already been spoken in the Senate."

"How did you find this information?" Mace Windu asked as he led Laurence into a secluded room.

Laurence flushed and grinned nervously. "I, ah, hacked the computer system, sir."

Windu raised an eyebrow, his features amused. "Am I to assume that you _broke the rules_ in order to pry into Senate affairs?"

Laurence rolled his eyes. "I've been doing it for years. One more blotch isn't going to ruin my perfect record of being the most unruly security guard in the Jedi Temple."

"Nor does the fact that you were once a Jedi seem to deter you from getting into trouble," Windu added.

Laurence shrugged. "Well, you can't say that - wait, WHAT?"

"You've been hiding it for years, Skywalker," Windu nodded, "But I think it's time to stop concealing your true identity. Your force display on Geonosis was hardly a random occurence. You are only lucky that more Jedi haven't noticed it by now. It's only a matter of time before your clone discovers that you aren't entirely who you claim to be."

Laurence sat down heavily, shock plainly displayed on his features. "You found out," he said in a voice barely above a hoarse whisper.

"You're very skilled at hiding things," Mace Windu replied, "But you left a number of obvious clues in the open. Your lightsaber skills, for example. I have yet to find a Naboo security officer with such talent. You also bear a great resemblence to Anakin Skywalker. Your disguise was quite ingenious, but I should think you would realise it's far easier to deceive a Senator than a Jedi."

"How do you know I'm not just another look-alike such as Teff?" Laurence raised an eyebrow.

"Don't give yourself the impression that your occasional uses of the force haven't been noticed," Windu replied with equal coolness. "Some of the Jedi are beginning to question the inexplicable fluctuations reverbrating through the temple. Your powers may be contained, but it is clear that you far exceed the cloned Skywalker in the force."

Laurence surpressed a groan. He should have known that his sparatic uses of the force would have been noticed. "What else gave me away?"

"Your children were the final indicator," Mace Windu replied. "Darra is strong in the force, but her medichlorian count cannot compare to her children. Unless the force had supplied otherwise, the only possibility for this to occur would be if they had inherited their capabilities from their father." He gave Laurence a skeptical look. "It would be quite an astounding circumstance if your children obtained such power despite your 'force deficiency.'"

Laurence swiped a hand through his hair, realizing the game was up. "Does Obi-wan know?"

"He may not realize it yet," Windu allowed. "Obi-wan's mind is clouded with concern for young Skywalker." Mace Windu began pacing slowly around the room as he spoke. "The Council shares this apprehension. We suspect that Skywalker is another clone. The Jedi always noted your tendencies to act on emotion rather than rational thinking. Skywalker echos this trait, only to a greater degree. If he is a clone like Teff, I fear he may prove to be not only a danger to himself, but the Jedi Order."

"Why didn't you turn me in before, if this was the case?" Laurence questioned. "If you knew he wasn't the real Anakin, why let him remain at the temple?"

"At first the Council suspected _you_ to be the clone of Skywalker," Windu admitted. "By the time we realized the mistake, Skywalker had proved himself a number of times in the war. We decided to hold any decisions in order to see how circumstances progressed.

"As for why we did not reveal your identity," Mace continued, "There did not appear to be an immediate neccessity. You left the temple for reasons of your own and showed no intention of returning. Although this is not typical proceedure at the temple, your actions spoke plainly and we made no attempt to dissuade you from your decision. It proved beneficial in the end, however. Having both you and Skywalker take part against the Separatists has given us a key position in the war."

"Having two 'chosen ones' would have provided an exceptional advantage," Laurence nodded in understanding.

"For some time we were willing to remain quiet because of this," Windu agreed. "Skywalker, however, has begun to grow more unsettled in the past year. If his mindset is falling apart such as Teff's was before he was brought to the temple, he could prove to be a formidable enemy. Besides this, the Council doesn't like his dealings with the Chancellor. We don't trust him."

"Palpatine does seem to be going out of his way to boost Anakin's self motivation," Laurence added.

Windu nodded. "At the moment, however, your 'clone' is the only link we have to observing the Chancellor's dealings. If Skywalker _is_ as loyal to the Jedi as he appears, then he will report this immediately."

"And if he proves to be a traitor in the end?" Laurence pointed out.

"Then we will deal with things as we always have," Windu replied.

The room was silent for a time.

"Laurence," Mace Windu turned to the former Jedi. "I understand you had reason to leave the temple before, but if it proves neccessary, I would ask that you consider taking Skywalker's place in the temple."

Laurence's jaw dropped. "Hold it, you mean to tell me that if Anakin lost his marbles, you'd expect me to drop everything and be a Jedi once more? I _left_ the temple in order to get away from this whole Jedi business, and you want me to get caught up in it again?"

Windu sighed. "It would be your own choice, of course. But understand, if the false Skywalker fails as Chosen One, it will be your responsibility to take up where he left. This is not a Council order, but your duty as a Jedi. The force chose you for this purpose for a reason. You cannot shirk it and believe that the consequences will not be dire."

Laurence stared into space as though not hearing what was said. "I know," he finally said softly, his eyes fixated on the far wall. He sighed. "Funny, it's like I've known that all along. No matter how hard I try, I can't escape the temple. It's my life; it's part of me. I guess Naboo was just a wistful dream that never had a chance of being realized."

"It _is_ possible to run from your destiny," Windu offered. "But that does not mean you will fully escape it, nor scarcely regret it. There is always a consequence for every action, whether good or ill."

"Guess I should have figured that by now," Laurence shrugged slightly. He blew his bangs out of his eyes and looked to Mace Windu. "So what do you want me to do?"

.. .. .. . . . . .. . .. ..

"She lied to me." Anakin drew in a harsh, ragged breath as he ran the news over in his mind.

Palpatine smiled amiably as he walked alongside the Jedi Knight. "I'm sure that whatever happened, she withheld the information for your own benefit. She would naturally have done what she could to protect you. Mhm, perhaps however, you could provide some explanation for what exactly _is_ going on. I am always willing to offer any advise that I can, but unless I know the circumstances - "

"No, of course," Anakin nodded. "I wouldn't expect you to know. Up until now,_ I _didn't even realize it." He took a deep breath and blurted out, "Laurence is my clone."

Palpatine visibly started before his features smoothed into their usual pleasant appearance. "I must say, I didn't expect to hear that. Who told you?"

"I found out on my own," Anakin replied. "I suspected for a while that my mother was telling the full truth when she insisted that we were brothers, but I didn't even think about the idea that he might be my clone until I ran into Teff the other day." He swung his head up and asked, "I don't suppose you ever knew that I have another clone at the temple."

"Uhm, never," Palpatine replied breezily. "It seems an extraordinary thing. I didn't realize cloning a Jedi was possible."

"Well it shouldn't be," Anakin responded. "It's a violation. It's an insult! The Jedi shouldn't allowed them into the temple in the first place!"

Palpatine nodded. "It is only natural that this would make you angry," he supplied. "After all, none of the other Jedi were chosen for such an experiment."

"Experiment?" Anakin turned.

"But of course," Palpatine replied. "Why else would the cloners attempt to copy such a high medichlorian count if not to learn the limits of their studies? And with you being the most powerful Jedi in the order, it seemed only natural that you would be a prime subject."

"So Teff and Larence are the results of this 'experiment,'" Anakin filled in, his face dark.

"Apparently, yes," Palpatine replied. "The Jedi seem to have accepted them rather well, particularely young Stalin. Tell me though, what did your mother tell you concerning him? He seems to know your family quite well."

"She won't admit to anything," Anakin said ruefully. "She still claims that Laurence is my brother, but I can tell she's lying. Owen says he first met Laurence at a podrace, where he helped obtain the rest of the money needed to free Mom." Anakin's fierce gaze softened at the thought. "Despite everything, now that I think of it, it's not like I have anything to hold against him. He freed my mother, _and_ saved her life. It's almost like he could be my brother after all."

"Or, that's what he wants you to think," Palpatine hinted.

"What do you mean?" Anakin asked, preterbed.

Palpatine smiled amiably once more. "Anakin, when dealing with the galaxy for as long as I have, one learns that there are many twists and corridors of the mind. One's greatest friend might at any day turn out to be their darkest enemy."

"What are you saying?" Anakin pressed.

"Think about it, Anakin," Palpatine continued. "A clone has no attachments. He is a mere laboratory design. What purpose would he have in dealing with the family of his original identity?"

"I - I don't understand," Anakin shook his head.

"What is the one thing most important to you in the world?" Palpatine asked. "Something you would fight for with your very life?"

Padme rose instantly to Anakin's mind. "Are you saying he is... a threat to that?"

"Perhaps not to your family, but... you," Palpatine replied calmly. "What other reason would he try and gain such implicite trust from those you care for? It is not uncommon for the apprentice to replace the master. Why shouldn't the clone replace his original?"

"No," Anakin halted instantly. "I don't believe he would do that."

"Anakin," Palpatine cojolled like a father to a confused child. "Consider what I am saying. Your own mother has been keeping his identity secret. Your stepbrother and sister are treating him as one of their own. Now the Jedi are beginning to request him more and more often for the most important tasks. He is replacing you, Anakin."

Anakin looked away, waiting for Palpatine to continue.

"Every move, every action is backed by his purpose of taking your place at the temple. I am surprised he did not attempt to woo Senator Amidala, seeing as she was once a close friend of yours."

Anakin tensed at Palpatine's words. Did the Chancellor know? He couldn't! No one knew... no one except Laurence that is. The clone couldn't be attempting to take Padme from him, not after marrying Darra. Was Palpatine right, however, that Laurence would do whatever it took to demean him in the eyes of the Council? Would he use Padme to convince the Jedi that Anakin was not fit to remain at the Temple? But that wouldn't be right. Laurence was married as well. How could he try and take the true Anakin's place by using the rule set by the Jedi against marriage?

Unless... The thought struck Anakin and stopped him in his tracks. Unless Laurence passed himself off as the _real_ Anakin. Was it possible? Could his clone gather enough evidence to discredit Anakin and throw him out of the temple? Laurence already seemed to know about his entire life. What if it was enough to convince the Jedi that Laurence wasn't an imposter after all? Could Laurence really succeed in an attempt like that?

Brisquely Anakin shook his head to clear the dark thoughts from his mind. What had he been thinking? Of course Laurence wouldn't do anything of the kind! He had a family of his own and had already succeeded as a security guard and engineer. He had no reason to overthrow Anakin's place at the temple. As for the family; well, why wouldn't Owen and Beru accept Laurence into the family after he had helped gather the money for Shmi's freedom? Doubtlessly Shmi had accepted Laurence as a 'lost sheep' as well, and was unwilling to do anything to discredit him in Anakin's eyes. Of course everything was all right... wasn't it?

Searching the grounds, Anakin realized that Palpatine had disappeared while he had been thinking. Rubbing his temples in an attempt to erase the sudden piercing headache, Anakin headed back to the temple. The doubts remained, however, and he found himself worrying over Palpatine's accusations long into the night.

**... .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .**

**Self-note: Make sure to add Padme in the next chapter. (I have to write some of this stuff out or I forget my own plans.) :)**

**Thank you to Floating Leaves for reminding me that I have other stories besides Naruto to work on, and happy belated Star Wars day to everyone!**


	6. Discussions

** My apologies that this took a while. I had to rethink the chapter to keep it going with the Star Wars plot. (It started getting a little weird.) **

** Also, for those who might have seen the profile note about me working on another Star Wars story with Laurence, it's just a side project that I started when I was too bored of Anakin's melodrama to continue with episode 3. I'm not sure when the first chapter will be up, but I will make sure it doesn't get in the way of this story's updates.**

**. . . . . .. . . .. . . .**

Laurence spun his chair in a half circle, disgusted and plauged with boredom. Three hours of watching a live Senate meeting had revealed no clue whatsoever concerning Chancellor Palpatine. Laurence detested politics as it was, and studying one of the session for even ten minutes was enough to cause an irresistable urge to throw the holoreceiver against the wall.

"Remind me why I even bother," Laurence muttered to himself as he toyed with a broken computer circuit. "I've got a wife and two kids and a broken pitdroid waiting for me at home. I have better things to do in my life than watch repetetive speeches about droll events that reoccur so often you know how they're going to turn out. Why I even put myself in this position I don't - "

The door to the holonet room slid open at that moment as Anakin stalked into the room. His posture was stiff and agitated, tension roiling off him in waves. Laurence lazily twirled the chair to face the sullen Jedi. He raised an eyebrow at the thundrous glare Anakin aimed towards every object in the room.

"Bad day?"

Anakin glanced sharply to the right, not expecting to see his rival in the holonet area. "What do you want?"

"You look like someone just crashed your starfighter," Laurence retorted calmly. "Did K-L5 scratch the paint, or was there something going on in the senate report that just - "

"Will you knock off the jokes for once!" Anakin snapped as he flipped through a series of starmaps. He hardly seemed to be concentrating on the images before him, and his irritability worsened.

Laurence sighed and forced himself to straighten from his lounged position. "Council troubles?"

Anakin paused a moment and glanced over. "You hacked the holograms, didn't you."

Laurence shook his head, hoping to belay any suspicion. "I overheard the Chancellor mentioning something about an important meeting today. Naturally, I figured you had something to do with it."

"Naturally," Anakin drawled. "Then of course, _naturally _you'd assume I was plotting with the Chancellor against the Jedi Council."

"I never said that," Laurence was hasty to point out, noting that the conversation was taking a turn for the worst. "I was merely making an observation. You looked like you needed someone to talk to."

Anakin's distrust seemed to fade as quickly as it had appeared. With a deep sigh he leaned against the table and stared at the floor. An instant later he straightened once more and began pacing around the room. Laurence held back a grin, recognizing his own nervous habit.

"I can't believe they did this," Anakin's voice was sharp. "It's never happened in the entire history of the Jedi. It's completely unfair!"

Laurence leaned back patiently. In some ways Anakin was just like Teff. His temper tantrums would come and go, blowing over as soon as they came. It was an unhealthy lifestyle for any Jedi, but Laurence blamed it on the cloning process. He didn't like to acknowledge the fact that he might have taken a similar route had he remained with the Jedi.

"Mind if I ask exactly _who_ is the party in question?"

Anakin let out an exhasperated sigh before collapsing into a chair opposite Laurence. "The Council," he replied shortly.

"That's not surpsing," Laurenc offered, hoping the tactic of empathy might allow his clone to talk things over and move on. "What happened this time?"

Anakin toyed with his mechanical hand, twisting a wire and grimacing at the results. "They made me a member."

"That's good... right?"

Anakin's head shot up, a variety of emotions flitting across his face. "How can you be on the Council if you are not a master?" In an instant he was pacing once more. "They _refused_ to allow me the title! It's absolutely humilating, it's never happened in the history of the Jedi, it's - "

"Ever consider the fact that you're an extraterrestrial being who never experienced a normal set of events?" Laurence grinned cheekily as he slouched back.

"What did you say?" Anakin swung around like a nexu whose tail had been threatened.

Laurence ran his fingers through his hair, still smiling. "When has life ever been normal? I mean, think about it; you joined the temple nine years after the permissable deadline, you have more medichlorians swimming through your bloodstream than any Jedi, you connect to the force as instinctively as you breath, and you're the only person in the Temple who's ever dared to enter a podrace. If you ask me, this occasion demonstrates that you've just paved the way for a new generation of force wielders. After all, how many Jedi Knights _have_ been considered for position on the Council? You're the only Knight to ever have been accepted. If that doesn't prove the amount of faith the Council has in you, I can't imagine what would."

"I never thought of it that way before," Anakin considered.

"Don't let it get to your head, though," Laurence added as he rose to his feet. "They say the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Keep that in mind and you'll be a master before you know it."

"Uh, yeah," Anakin responded absently, still muddling through Laurence's previous speech. "Thanks for the tip." His brow furrowed as he realized he had just agreed with his rival, but the door swished shut before he say anything further.

Anakin' mood was passive for only a moment. A fresh wave of indignation coursed through him as he recalled the Council's last order; to gather all information possible on Palpatine's dealings. No, he could not follow through such a decree. No matter what the Jedi meant to him, Anakin was not willing to betray a friend due to their suspicions.

Anakin rubbed his hands over his face with a sigh. He was so confused right now. Every direction seemed to point to nowhere. He was beginning to wonder if he could even pick out what was right or wrong anymore. He cared for the Jedi Order more than he would openly admit, but sometimes he feared Padme was right; what if he was fighting for the wrong side?

. . . . .. . . .. . . .

"How in the world do you look after everything?" Padme wondered aloud as she assisted Darra in cleaning the ravaged apartment.

The floor and furniture were littered with Jamie's toys, and nearly ever nook and cranny stored a random tool or metal shard that Laurence had stashed away haphazardly during his attempts to rectify his youngest son's mishaps. Completely opposite to his father and brother, Ferus' own belongings were neatly packed away in their appropriate places. Padme was immensely relieved at this, as she was feeling nearly frantic at the amount of clutter scattered throughout the apartment. Jamie seemed to consider the event to be quite the bit of excitement, and was quite enjoying the front row seat in his high chair.

"You get used to it after a while," Darra shrugged as she picked up a random shirt and jacket that had been thrown behind the couch. "Is Anakin this bad, or is my husband the only one who doesn't know how to clean up after himself?"

"It's terrible!" Padme made a face. "I'm just glad I have C-3PO around to pick up everything. At least Ani's at the temple for the most part."

"Lucky," Darra shook her head. "I practically banished Laurence to the basement after he tried operating a defected droideka in the living room. He still insists on working on smaller parts in here, though. It's probably just as well; if Laurence did all his tinkering in the basement I'd never see him again."

"How do you two manage it, raising your children _and_ working in the temple?" Padme questioned out of the blue.

"Actually, Laurence is practically the only one going on missions now," Darra replied. "Sometimes the temple will take care of the kids if both Laurence and I are called away, but for the most part I stay home with them."

"I expect that must be difficult," Padme commented as Jamie let out a squeal and splatted his face into his lunch.

"You have no idea." Darra rolled her eyes and grabbed Laurence's misplaced jacket, using it to wipe Jamie's face. The toddler crowed in delight and proceeded to mash his Daddy's jacket in the remains of his food.

Padme grinned and gingerly took the coat between two fingers. "I'll take care of this," she offered.

"No need," Darra shook her head. "I'm giving Laurence laundry detail tonight. If he wants to leave his clothes lying around, then he can be the one to clean them up."

"Does he even know _how_ to operate the washer?" Padme raised an eyebrow.

"Unfortunately, he knows only too well," Darra sighed. "He built it. Still, I live in hope that one day he'll accidently pour a cup of bleach into his load of _dreary_ outfits." She shook her head, tsking. "Someday I'll get him to wear a different style than all black."

"Allow me," Padme suggested with a sly grin as she scooped up the pile of laundry and exited the room. "How does this thing work?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Turn the knob three times to the right, add the soap into the pop-up compartment, specify what type of washing you like, then press the start button," Darra called back.

"Amazing!" Padme whistled low as she inspected the detailed list of options. "This has everything! Remind me to have Ani make me one of these." Several minutes later she returned to the room, wiping her hands and looking rather smug.

"I won't ask," Darra commented without looking up from the worn out, fermented sock she was teasing out of the radiator.

"Your husband is such a slob," Padme shook her head. "If Anakin even thinks of following in Laurence's footsteps, he's going to find himself locked out of the apartment for a week."

"Welcome to the world of marriage," Darra smiled. "For every good part, you're going to find something you'll have to live with."

Padme fingered a ringlet of hair, then asked hesitantly, "Darra, did the Council have any objection to your marrying Laurence?"

Darra paused in her wrestling match with the sock and looked up. "What do you mean?"

"When you informed them that you and Laurence were getting married... Did the Council order you to leave the temple?"

Darra sat back and wiped the grime off her face, tucking her bangs behind her ear. "No, they didn't," she admitted. "I chose to leave. The Jedi didn't approve of my marriage, yes, but I'm not the first one to have chosen to have a family despite the code." She paused, then pressed gently, "This is about Anakin, isn't it?"

Padme hesitated, her eyes dark and troubled. "Darra, everything we have is balanced on our secret," she finally confessed. "Anakin's duty as a Jedi, my work in the Senate... we thought if we kept everything hidden, then life could continue as normal."

Darra nodded, understanding all too well what Padme was speaking of. "But now everything seems to be falling apart around you," she filled in. "It's getting harder to keep silent, and perhaps it doesn't seem worth it as much anymore. Is that it?"

"You seem to know exactly what I'm talking about," Padme mused as she knelt on the floor.

"I've had some experience in likewise matters," Darra replied evasively. "What seems to be the main trouble now?"

"I'm pregnant, Darra," Padme flushed and looked down. "I found out several months ago. I've been trying to keep it hidden, but there's only so long..."

Darra sat back, hardly astonished by the news. "Does anyone else know about this besides you and Anakin?"

Padme shook her head. "I haven't told anyone yet, though I intend to inform my parents soon. They'd find out eventually as it is."

"A lot more people are going to find out besides your parents, Padme," Darra said gently. "You and Anakin may have hidden from the press for this long, but it's only a matter of time before your cover is blown."

"That's why I came to you," Padme replied earnestly. "You're the only one I feel I can trust, and I'm sure Laurence will do what he can to help his brother. I need your advice on what to do now. Anakin _can't_ leave the temple, but if it would be possible for him to remain there despite his breach of the Jedi code it would make things so much easier for us." Padme sighed. "I'm so _tired_ of all these lies. I wish we had never agreed to this, and yet I know that if I was given the same choice all over again I would never turn Ani away."

"Have you ever considered telling Obi-wan?" Darra offered. "He was Anakin's mentor, after all. I'm sure he would do what he could to help."

"I mentioned that to Ani, but he refused to speak of it," Padme shook her head. "I'm worried about him. He's seemed less like himself ever since he returned from the Outer Rim. He scarcely sleeps at night, and I know his dreams are troubling him. He seems so distant. I never know what to expect from him any more."

Darra felt a flash of concern. Was it possible that the the cloned Anakin was beginning to experience the same conflicts as Teff? The Jedi had mentioned that a perfect clone of a Jedi was impossible to create. A chill ran through Darra. Things could be much more serious than she had anticipated.

"Padme, if Anakin's unusual behavior continues or grows worse, will you let me know?" Darra requested.

"What do you think is happening to him?" Padme's face grew pale at the countless implications.

"I'm not sure yet," Darra replied honestly. "But if anything noticeably changes, tell me. It could just be the stress of the war, but just in case, I don't want you to face this alone."

"What about Laurence?" Padme wondered. "Has he been behaving strangely?"

Darra scoffed. "Padme, you know Laurence just as well as I do. When is he _ever _acting normal?"

. .. . .. .. . .. . .. . .

"Padme's worried about Anakin," Darra mentioned later when Laurence returned from the temple.

"Mm-hm," Laurence muttered absently as he opened the washer. His brow creased in confusion as he held up a blotchy purple, white, and black jacket. "Did someone put bleach in this load?"

"Laurence, I'm trying to talk to you," Darra folded her arms.

"Funny, I don't remember have blue and grey patches on my socks, either."

"ANAKIN SKYWALKER!" Darra finally shouted in frustration. "Will you _please_ forget about the laundry long enough for me to talk to you?"

Laurence dropped the clothing articles like a guilty child. "Sorry, did you say something?"

"I wanted you to know that you're not the only one concerned over your clone's recent behavior," Darra answered seethingly. "Padme informed me today that he's been acting rather abnormal."

"How so?" Laurence asked in a serious tone as he leaned back, his full attention on Darra.

"She wasn't quite sure how to explain it," Darra shook her head. "She said he was more distracted - agitated, in fact. Apparently his nightmares have been returning as well."

"That's strange. They can't be about Mom - I'd know if something was wrong."

"Padme wouldn't go into details," Darra shrugged helplessly. "She was hoping _you_ could tell her something."

"Oh, so the fact that he's _my _clone suddenly makes me an expert on the way he thinks," Laurence noted sarcastically. "We have entirely different life stories. I can't always understand how he thinks, just as he wouldn't be able to comprehend my leaving the Jedi Order."

"Isn't there be something you can do? He _is_ technically you, after all. Even if you both led different lives, you still have similar mindsets. "

"It's not the same," Laurence sighed. He smiled crookedly, trying to ease the downcast look on Darra's face. "Look, I'll talk to him again, okay? Maybe he'll be willing discuss with someone who's more of a 'family member.' Or he'll bite my head off," Laurence added as an afterthought.

"Just be careful," Darra implored. "I don't like the way things are going. The galaxy is already unstable enough without our family being torn apart."

"Hey, relax!" Laurence chuckled. "I'm Anakin Skywalker. What could go wrong?"

He couldn't shake the niggling feeling, however, that his own words were about to be thrown back in his face.

. .. . .. . .. . .. . .

**Chapter updates will be coming slower even though I'm back to writing again, as I'm working now as well as doing a lot of extra housework. (We just got a couple goats, and the milking is a time killer.) **

**Reviews are always helpful, especially questions and predictions of the future. (Very inspiring, those predictions. I like to laugh and update quickly to disprove the ones that are false, and I gape in shock at the ones that follow my own mindset.)**


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